Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is calling for an independent investigation into the federal government’s handling of a wildfire that destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and upwards of 80 structures on the park’s North Rim.
In a series of posts on X on July 13, Hobbs, a Democrat, criticized federal officials for initially managing the lightning-sparked blaze as a controlled burn rather than immediately suppressing it.
“An incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal government’s emergency response,” Hobbs wrote. “They must first take aggressive action to end the wildfire and prevent further damage. But Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park.”…